Pride, Prejudice, Potions and Potter
by fortheloveoftea
Summary: It is a common misconception that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. This is absolute rubbish.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** I keep forgetting to put in an authors note before publishing my stories so my lovely beta Sad eyed Lady of The Low Life doesn't get half as much credit as she deserves! Not only is she a fantabulous beta but her fics are brilliant too, go and read them! This is very different from my usual style of writing so let me know what you think, whether it's bad or good, all constructive criticism is welcome._

_Characters are owned by J.K. Rowling and I've borrowed heavily from Jane Austen when it comes to everything else. Enjoy!_

* * *

It is a common misconception that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. This is absolute rubbish. A single man in possession of any amount of money is generally in need of a good smack across the back of the head. Having been pandered to most of their lives, rich young men tend to be conceited, arrogant and selfish, none more so than one Severus Snape.

* * *

"Arthur? Arthur where are you? Oh there you are dear, you'll never guess what news I have!"

Mrs. Weasley was a kind matronly sort of woman, the sort of Lady that would never be heard blackening any of her neighbours names and yet was the unofficial Queen of gossip. Mr. Weasley on the other hand was a quite serious man. That's not to say he wasn't as kind as his wife, he simply had to deal with the pressures and stresses of managing such a large household on such a small income. You see Mr. Weasley, or Arthur as his wife called him, fell pray to a very unusual circumstance of a marriage that was based on love (a very uncommon occurrence at the time, when marriage was a convenient means to provide better circumstances or to simply ensure the continuation of your family name) and the number of their children attested to such a fact. So with five boys and one girl to provide for and to worry about it is understandable the Mr. Weasley was not as quick to frivolity as his wife.

Despite Mr. Weasley's already strained purse his kind heart did however allow for the adoption of a young orphan. The young boy in question was the only child of a young couple who had been close friends of Arthur's during his youth and between the tragic circumstances of their death and other sad fatalities within his extended family, young Harry Potter found himself with no legal guardian and dependent upon the charity of the Weasley's when he was but two years old.

"Correct my dear, I probably shall never guess what new excitement has caught your attention so why not put me out of my misery?" replied a bemused Arthur Weasley.

"Don't tease me Arthur I'm in no mood for it. Besides when you hear my news I'm sure you'll be just as excited as I." Not leaving her husband time to express his doubts Mrs. Weasley continued on "Netherfield Hall has been let!" Arthur floundered slightly at the expectant look his wife shot him, "and this shall put me out of my misery how?"

Molly Weasley sighed in exasperation. Her husband obviously needed to check his priorities. While he may handle the finances and provide for his children's immediate needs, she knew to look to the future, and what her children needed were secure futures with either a well to do wife or contacts to help them find good employment.

"Arthur, dearest, reflect on what may happen should our new neighbour bring his companions with him. I'm sure Mr. Black has a large number of well to do single young ladies in his acquaintance and I've no doubt my handsome boys will turn their heads, and before you protest Arthur, Sirius Black is well known for his impeccable business practices, surely he'll know of some opportunities for our boys should they not wish to marry. I've thought this out and decided it's best for everyone that you go and welcome Mr. Black to the neighbourhood, Winky has put together a welcome basket and Dobby has the carriage and horses ready now off you go Arthur." With that Molly shooed her husband out the door proving that while she may be flighty at times, she was still a formidable woman.

* * *

The reason for the severe depletion of wizards and witches in the British Isles was no longer in living memory which made debating the sudden decimation of the once powerful wizarding nation a favourite pastime of older wizards and included large quantities of brandy, comfortable chairs and clubs where their wives could not get in and nag them. Whatever the reason may have been it was no longer important, all you needed to know was that without a large enough population to support a once thriving infrastructure the wizarding community was forced to adapt. Private wizarding towns slowly disappeared or expanded and changed to include muggle families. Becoming all but indistinguishable from their neighbours was relatively easy for the common wizarding family, the only signs being slightly whiter washing or a roof that didn't leak as much.

* * *

Mr. Weasley had of course followed his wife's direction and paid a visit to his new neighbour. Following a rather brief but enjoyable chat with Mr. Sirius Black, he carried on to the Bennett's, a local muggle family who due to the rather large size of their house threw most of the local dances and events. Satisfied that his wife would be pleased with the invitation he'd secured to a welcome dance for Mr. Black Mr. Weasley carried on home.

* * *

Remus Lupin had always been a slightly mysterious figure to young Harry. While he would count the tutor as close a friend as to be family, the fact that the quiet, almost shy man turned into a deadly creature of the night once a month was almost incomprehensible. Add that to the fact that despite this seeming crippling social disability Mr. Lupin had attended Hogwarts for the full seven years and graduated top of nearly every subject. Yet despite these glowing credentials very few would hire a known werewolf which is how the sandy haired man ended up teaching the Weasley children for what little they could pay him plus bed and board. While he was undoubtedly intelligent enough to teach at any wizarding institution Remus was in fact very happy with the Weasleys, he had taught all the Weasley children save for Bill and while some of them may have been 'trying' to teach the satisfaction was a job well done and the friendships he had developed with each. All of this added up to an external demeanour of a quiet mild mannered and extremely polite young man, which is why Harry was more than a little confused when Remus discreetly bolted from the room upon the arrival of Mr. Black and his party.

Unfortunately for Harry his chance to follow his friend and squeeze what information he could from him was thwarted as Mr. Bennett introduced their new neighbour and his three companions.

Less than half an hour into the dance Harry had come to the conclusion that while Mr. Black was one of the nicest, most agreeable men he had ever met, his friends were far from his equal. While the two ladies, a Mrs. Malfoy and a Miss Black (cousins of Sirius) were incredibly beautiful and dressed in the finest of fashions both were viciously two faced snobs. As they walked the room complimenting their hostess Harry could see the not quite hidden disdainful looks and sneers directed and (at) everyone and everything in their sight. Hoping the women were only going to be occasional guests at Netherfield Harry turned his attention to the tall dark haired man next to Sirius Black. Severus Snape was a harder character to judge, while physically impressive and quite handsome (in Harry's opinion anyway) his blank face and lack of conversation left him with a slightly mysterious aura (again this was only Harry's opinion but he currently didn't care whether anyone agreed with him or not, caught up in some rather innocent but far from pure thoughts as he was). Casually wandering to a spot closer to the intriguing Mr. Snape Harry perked his ears up at the sound of Snape's dark velvety voice. Harry might not have been so keen had he known he was the dubious topic of conversation

* * *

"Come on Severus, if you won't dance at least join a conversation! There's many a witty man here who'd surely keep your attention! Look there's one of Mr. Weasley's boys, I believe his name is Harry, he looks like he could keep your attention Severus."

Sirius apparently had made a severe error in judgement in pointing out the one man Snape had in fact been watching. Turning his frustration on his friend, Severus let his ire at being dragged to such a dismal little gathering (and discovering that the one interesting individual present could never travel in the same circles as himself) out in a speech he would normally have been ashamed to say, in company at least.

"It appears Sirius that your powers of observation have suffered a severe, debilitating blow. There is no sign of intelligence in any of the 'persons' present here. As for the young man, or should I say child you believe would 'hold my attention' going by the example set by his family I have no doubt that he is of the same shallow mind and tedious wit as the rest of them." Seeing that he had upset his friend Severus carried on in an attempt to explain while still saving face. "Come now Sirius look at them! The mother hasn't stopped gossiping since she arrived, and I'd bet a hundred pounds that it's you and your fortune that's the topic of conversation. The two twins have already jinxed several young ladies skirts with what I believe are peeping charms and caused more than one young man to embarrass himself with tripping jinxes. The other young son has spent the night attempting to make himself look impressive with his loud obnoxious boasting, something the father is aware of but chooses to ignore in favour of his card game and the young girl, well, I'd be surprised if she didn't already know contraceptive charms at the rate she's 'charming' all the young men here!"

Both men paused in their discussion to watch a white faced Harry leave the room.

"You don't think he heard us do you Severus? I do hope not, he is quite a charming, kind young man, if you simply got down off your high horse and got to know him for his own sake I'm sure you'd find yourself in good company. I saw you watching him Severus, don't deny it! Just as you know me better than my own mother, I know you better than any man living, is it just his form you're interested in or more I wonder?" With a smirk that would've caused Harry to re-evaluate his opinion of him Sirius left Snape to his thoughts.

* * *

In a mixture of fury and humiliation Harry began to scour the house for Remus, hoping for the werewolf's help in re-gaining his composure. Harry was furious at Snape's insults no doubt about that but what had hurt and shamed him was the fact that Snape was right. Molly was talking about the Black fortune and how exactly her daughter would be suited to being the mistress of Netherfield, or indeed one of her sons (though she only confided this to fellow witches as muggles simply weren't as accepting). The twins pranks, while hardly gentlemanly were far from harmful so Harry felt no shame at their actions, especially as no-one but themselves were aware of their game but Ron was being obnoxious and Ginny, well Harry was going to have to talk to his father about Ginny, she was practically throwing herself at every single man there.

Harry also couldn't ignore the hurt he had felt at hearing Snape disparage him. He'd felt a small thrill at being pointed out to Snape only to have his excitement crushed. "Well" he thought to himself "at least I know how he feels!"

Remus eventually showed up in a small empty library off the main hall, well nearly empty. The sight of his friend's blush while a delighted looking Sirius talked to him in hushed tones left Harry with a smile and the strength to get through the rest of the night filled with Snapes speculative stares.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N:_**_ Wow! I cant get over how much of a response the last chapter got! Thank you so much for all the lovely lovely reviews, story alerts and favourites! Such and ego boost =) A few things came out in the reviews so I'll clear it up here. This is a yaoi story, there will be m/m relationships but I'm not sure how far I'm going to take it, I do love the smut but I'm not overly sure it suits the story so I've left space in my outline for potential smuttiness. I've rated this story as M so that I have the leeway._

_Same sex relationships are accepted in wizarding culture, Mrs Weasley refered to that in the last chapter while at the dance. However they're not acceptable in muggle society, the original book Pride and Prejudice was set in 1813 when there were laws against homosexuality so obviously any gay wizards and witches would have to hide what they are from muggles._

_This chapter's a bit shorter than the last one but I wanted to give ye something to read before I went on holidays for a week, so I'll be a bit late replying to any reviews (though I will reply! Unless they're unsigned, in which case I'll shout my reply at the computer and hope you hear me =) but I'll work on chapter 3 while I'm away! There's a bit of a flashback but its in italics._

_Very long authors note I know and I'm sorry but before I end it I have to say thank you to my lovely splendiferous beta Sad Eyed Lady of The Low Life who managed to encourage *cough cough pester cough* me to get this done faster and beta'd it in record time, go thank her! She's here on !_

* * *

"Well that was a success! Don't you think so Arthur?" proclaimed Molly Weasley as her weary but exultant family stumbled through the doors of the Burrow. "I do believe our little community made quite the impression, in fact Mr. Black himself said he'd never seen such a lively group of people, even in London!" Mischief and interest sparkled in Mrs. Weasley's eyes as she turned her attention to Remus. "Though I think there was one person who truly impressed our new friends."

Inwardly groaning at his adoptive mother's comments Harry turned his attention to Remus's retreating figure, even without the werewolf's face visible Harry could practically see the waves of embarrassment coming off the sandy haired man. Hurrying to catch up to his friend Harry kept his questions to himself until they were both safely ensconced in Remus's rooms.

"I know I've kept quiet about my past Harry but please understand it wasn't out of some vain attempt to make myself more intriguing, far from it! It's simply that my younger years weren't exactly enjoyable."

"And Mr. Black reminds you of this?" understanding was beginning to dawn in Harry. "Remus, were the two of you friends?" The small wistful smile spreading across Remus's face answered Harry's question for him.

"We knew each other in Hogwarts, but only vaguely. I used to see him strutting around with his friends looking so impressive in his finery, but despite being the pureblood he was Sirius always greeted me with a smile. We would talk sometimes when paired up together in classes but they were always silly conversations filled with inconsequentialities but I loved every exchange. It did not last very long. The headmaster of Hogwarts knew I was a werewolf but under his guidance I kept my condition hidden. Precautions were taken of course but at the very least I didn't suffer the persecution of being discovered as a dark creature by my peers. I would have told Sirius eventually had our burgeoning friendship continued to grow but the choice was taken out of my hands by Sirius himself."

* * *

_It was with neither malicious intent nor embarrassment in mind that a young Sirius Black had handed the small messily wrapped present to his shy new friend. At first the Black heir had thought Remus was simply overwhelmed by the beauty of the ornate silver box, after all the joy in Remus's eyes as he'd torn away the wrapping paper had assured Sirius that he would like whatever the gift was (a great source of relief for Sirius, who'd spent nearly every minute of a two full weeks agonising over what exactly to get). Sirius was so wrapped up in nervously trying to explain that the box was not the main present but simply a precaution in case he'd been unable to wrap the gift properly, that he didn't at first notice the tears building in his friends eyes. Coming from a pureblood (and fairly dark) family Sirius knew the signs of a werewolf so it took but a few moments before he made the link between Remus's suddenly raw blistered and bleeding hands and the silver case. Shocked but unperturbed Sirius would have gladly kept the werewolf's secret, but, unfortunately for both boys they had not thought to choose a more private table in the library that day. News that Remus Lupin was an 'evil, dangerous dark creature' spread through out the school within the hour, and to parents within a day._

* * *

_When Remus turned and fled, Sirius ran after him. When Remus outran him Sirius headed straight to the hospital wing. When Madame Pomfrey wouldn't let him see Remus, Sirius camped outside the doors and waited. Despite all his best efforts Sirius never got to apologise, beg for forgiveness and most importantly tell Remus that he still wanted to be his friend. Afterwards Remus seemed to simply disappear, leaving Sirius with a broken heart and a silver box full of wasted chocolate._

* * *

"The headmaster organised it so that once I returned home I could continue most of my schooling by correspondence, once a week different teachers would come and demonstrate anything practical I needed to know. I completed what was left of my schooling without ever again stepping foot inside Hogwarts. I have to admit sometimes I wonder what it would've been like had I stayed and stuck through the insults and bullying that undoubtedly would have come, but the thought of seeing Sirius go from a friend to a distant disdainful enemy was simply too much for me to even chance."

"Oh Remus." Harry's heart had broken in sympathy for his friend as he had listened to Remus's tale, but thinking back to the scene he'd witnessed at the end of the party he couldn't help the little spark of hope growing in his chest. "I take it Mr. Black didn't react the way you thought he would when the two of ye met tonight then Remus? If anything I'd say the happiest I've seen him so far was when he was talking to you."

Remus's barely suppressed excitement was etched across his face and imbued in his words. "He said he looked for me Harry. He never meant to expose me like that and that he'd never regretted anything as much as loosing me, 'his friend'! I'm not going to get my hopes up too much but I do think Sirius and I might be able to get back to the camaraderie we once had." Shaking himself out of his Sirius saturated cloud Remus turned his attention to Harry. "Enough about me, tell me did you enjoy yourself tonight? Were you able to speak to any of our new friends?"

While Harry had calmed from his earlier anger he had not forgotten the insults so casual spewed by Severus Snape.

"I'm afraid my evening wasn't quite as successful as yours Remus." The two young men spent most of the night discussing all that Harry had overheard, undecided as to whether Snape was cruel or simply insensitive, how such a cold man could be friends with someone as kind and warm-hearted as Sirius and how they could help Harry's young siblings from wandering down less than savoury routes.

* * *

During the next few days Harry was happy to see that hardly a day went by when Sirius would either call down to the burrow to visit Remus or invite his lost friend to Netherfield for any number of reasons (all conveniently invented by Sirius in an effort to spend more time with the tutor, something Remus didn't realise but which Harry hoped was true). Harry was not the only one to notice the growing amity between the two. Soon, along with Sirius's invitations to Netherfield, Remus began to receive requests from Sirius's cousins. Narcissa and Bella would confiscate Remus to join them in small informal teas before letting him join Sirius in whatever activity Sirius had planned to share with Remus that day. Occasionally Narcissa's husband would join them (the fact that Lucius Malfoy was also at Netherfield had surprised Remus at first, after all the man had not been present at the dance and Remus had not seen him during his first few visits to Sirius. It was soon seen that Mr. Malfoy had fallen vicitim to quite a few of the vices of men and was often found in random rooms around the house sleeping off whatever he had drank or taken that day).

While Remus was grateful for the time and attention those two high bred ladies spent on him he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with their general line of questioning.

After the first few polite visits conversation had turned to Remus's lycanthropy. Never having been comfortable with discussing that painful part of his life Remus tried hard to avoid their increasing questions and seemingly endless fascination with his transformation. Harry had all but exploded when he'd discovered the subtle interrogation Remus had been undergoing. After listening to Remus patiently explain that he believed Narcissa and Bella were justifiably worried for their cousin "after all if a member of the Weasley's were to become acquainted with a dark creature would you not wish to learn as much as you could about them, if only to assuage your fears?" Harry could not think of a way to tell Remus that he believed his two new acquaintances were treating him like a curio, or even worse, as a pet, without hurting his friend so he kept his counsel to himself while deciding to keep a closer eye on Sirius Blacks cousins. A fact that saved his dear friend from these self same women's machinations


	3. Chapter 3

**_AN:_**_ Sorry this took so long! Mea culpa! All I'm going to say is that the next chapter will definately be up by the end of the week and to go and shower Sad Eyed Lady of the low life with praise! She rocks my socks =)_

* * *

Golden eyes blearily flickered open staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Remus felt lethargic and listless, his eyes barely staying open as sleep pulled at his body and mind, tempting him with comfort and peace. Thinking of no reason not to sleep Remus began to settle once more into the maddeningly comfortable bed. His eyes skimmed over the bedside clock as they began to shut. Eyes shooting open once again Remus was immediately wide awake, all sluggishness vanishing at the sight of the time. Fear numbing his senses Remus ran from the room still in his nightclothes.

* * *

Harry paced his rooms at the Burrow, his eyes flicking to the clock at every pass. Remus had gone to visit Sirius the day before, when he hadn't returned by dinner the Weasley's had simply assumed he'd decided to stay at Netherfield (a fact which an owl later confirmed) for the night. However Remus had not shown up the next day either and tonight was the night of the full moon meaning Harry was justifiably worried. Remus couldn't ride a horse this close to his transformation, animals seemed to sense how close he was to turning into a deadly predator and avoided him like the plague. Then there was the fact that his Remus was terrible on a broom, yes he could fly but panicked as he no doubt already was added to his complete lack of balance and Harry knew Remus would never last long enough on a broom to get home. Mind made up Grabbing his coat and rushing to find his broom, even flying as fast as he could Harry knew he'd never get Remus back to the Burrow on time.

* * *

"Do not worry so Remus, we'll think of something" soothed Narcissa Malfoy, trying to calm the frantic werewolf. "Oh Cissa darling I've just had an idea!" chimed Bellatrix, her voice fake in its surprise and concern. "The cellars would be strong enough to hold a werewolf, especially if you and I were to guard poor Remus. We could set up wards on the doors and windows, of course we'd stay to make sure nothing went wrong. Come now Remus we'd best get you down there."

Sirius saw the discomfort in Remus's face at the thought of the plan but it was the shame and humiliation as Remus stared blankly at his scared hands that tugged on his heart. "No I'll guard Remus".

Narcissa and Bella tried to hide their annoyance at their cousin. "You won't be able to concentrate on the wards by yourself all night Sirius and Severus has warded himself in his potions lab while he brews, we can help you."

"No, it would be immodest for you two ladies to view a man in such a state." Remus grabbed the convenient excuse. "He's right, during my transformation my clothing generally becomes shredded, I could not in good conscience allow myself to be exposed to you in such a shameful state"

The sound of running steps reached the arguing group, and Remus could feel himself relax (as much as is possible in such a situation) when he saw Harry race around the corner of the hall.

"Remus! Are you ok? We don't have much time!"

"I'm ok Harry, Sirius is going to help guard me tonight, we're heading to the cellars, everyone should be safe once I'm there."

Not even considering leaving Remus on his own Harry volunteered to help Sirius protect Remus that night, but he would find out what happened to keep Remus at Netherfield so late.

And he would start with the two witches currently trying to sneak past him to Remus.

* * *

It had been a difficult transformation. Despite clearing the cellar as much as they could in the short time they had there had still been plenty for Remus to cut himself against as he fell back from attacking the doors and walls of his unfamiliar prison. Harry had no doubt the extra stress the werewolf had experienced before his change had also agitated the wolf in him. Both Sirius and Harry had stayed awake the entire night, neither wanting to leave Remus alone. Sirius hadn't questioned Harry when he'd put up silencing spells and had in fact helped the younger man ensure that no-one could see into Remus's temporary cell. He knew whom they were trying to keep out but he would discuss his cousins inexcusable lack of consideration with them later.

Sirius had also been the one to carry a weak and exhausted Remus to his own rooms, helping Harry heal what they could before tucking the quiet man into bed. Leaving the room just once the next day Sirius returned shortly with pain relieving potions, various healing salves along with some calming and sleeping draughts.

"The benefits of knowing a potions master!" Before Harry could begin to question who Sirius had meant by his statement Remus stirred. All appreciative thoughts flew out of Harry's head leaving only room for Remus and his health.

* * *

Meanwhile two very aggravated witches sat in the parlour drinking tea and abusing their absent guests. Many a slanderous comment on Harry and Remus's relationship, bloodlines, family and manners were traded before they were interrupted by a curious Snape.

"Oh Severus did you hear about our excitement last night? I suppose not, probably engrossed in your potions. Remus Lupin was delayed here at Netherfield on the night of the full moon!"

Seeing the colour drain from Severus's face Narcissa hurriedly carried on "you need not worry Severus no-one was hurt. Sirius guarded the beast along with that odd little Weasley child, though Bella and myself could've done just as well on our own. Though I don't mind telling you Severus that boy was quite rude! Showing up uninvited like that and denying us any chance to… to help!"

A mumbled "all our hard work for nothing" from Bella's direction caught Snape's attention. "Surely my dear ladies you do not mean to imply your complicity in Mr. Lupins extended stay?"

"I'm sure we don't know what you mean Severus" sniffed Bella, not quite able to hide her twitching lips.

* * *

Harry stood outside the parlour doors gathering his thoughts. He could hear the quiet voices of the women inside, no doubt talking about him and Remus. After talking to Remus when he'd woken up Harry had come to the conclusion that Remus had been drugged in some way, after all the older man would never have slept so late otherwise. However he'd been unable to detect any potions in Remus's system. This didn't mean the werewolf hadn't been drugged, simply that the one (or _ones_ his mind supplied) responsible were intelligent enough to know the reactions of werewolf physiology. Either way, Harry thought as he knocked politely on the parlour door before stepping through, he had some questions to ask.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Malfoy, Ms. Black, Mr. Snape." Hiding his surprise at seeing Snape in the room Harry inclined his head in a slight bow in the quiet mans direction.

"Oh Harry relax we're all friends here, come sit down and tell us how is poor Remus this morning?"

Not taken in by Narcissa's pleasantries Harry decided to get to the point. "If you don't mind I have some questions about the meal Remus ate last night. I believe there may have been something in his food that caused Remus to sleep so late."

The shocked expressions on the sisters faces were convincing but their attitude to Remus ever since they had met the man kept Harry firm in his beliefs.

This time it was Bella who spoke to Harry. "Surely you are mistaken? After all we ate the same meal and none of us were affected in such a way. When did you last sleep Harry? I would say that tiredness from caring for your dear friend has made you paranoid, but do not worry, we take no offence, it is very noble of you to wish to protect your tutor."

"Yes Harry," chimed in Narcissa, "I remember exactly what Remus ate as both he and I debated on who would have the last of the gravy for our beef. So you see it couldn't have been the food as I did not sleep late this morning".

"Forgive me ladies but neither of you are werewolves either. I believe that a herb was added to the meal which would only react to werewolf physiology. There are only three that are not poisonous to humans and none of these are commonplace or generally used in cooking."

Bella was annoyed now "Well I'm afraid neither of us can help with that Mr. Weasley as our cooks are the ones to prepare the meals. I'm sure I don't know what little plants went into our meal last night, if you wish to know you'll have to ask your questions in the kitchen."

"Please forgive me, I meant no offense. I simply wish to ensure such a thing does not happen again. I thank you for your continued hospitality and caring you've shown towards my friend. I shall take your advice Ms. Black and ask my questions of the staff. Good day." With that Harry left the increasingly hostile parlour.

"I cannot believe the impertinence of that man! As if I would deign to know the actions of staff!"

"Don't worry Cissa, I'd say that scrawny little peasant was just jealous that we do not need to fight off a horde of red headed ruffians when we eat! You've been very quiet over there Severus, what do you think of our 'guest' and his accusations?"

Not even attempting to soothe Bella's ruffled feathers Severus replied; "I was in fact vaguely impressed."

That was the wrong thing for Severus to say. Bella had an obsession, its name was Severus. Anything found to stand in her way when it came to the dark haired man was… 'dealt with' rather discreetly and speedily. "Oh? And pray tell what was it that impressed you dear Severus?"

"Many young wizards and witches today born into a life of fortune and ease seem to have forgotten the power of knowledge. I was simply surprised that our guest is not one of such young men. Also Ms. Black surely you will not deny that his desire to protect his friend is admirable."

Bella had no intention of denying Harry admirable actions when to do so may change Severus's opinion of her so she kept her peace, for now.

* * *

Under Sirius insistence Remus and Harry stayed at Netherfield two more days until there was no doubt that Remus was fully recovered. Having run out of excuses both made their goodbyes, thanking all (especially Sirius) for their hospitality and returned to the Burrow. Their sojourn at Netherfield left Remus with the greatest possible admiration for the kindness and other such gentleman like qualities displayed by Sirius during their stay, leaving the werewolf happy and almost giddy for some days after. Harry's dislike for Narcissa and Bella had however taken a turn for the worse. Never again would he leave Remus in their sole company, he had no doubt that both women were responsible in some way for Remus's extended stay, their morbid fascination with his tutors darker side and their persistent attempts to gain access to him during Remus's transformation did not bode well for their intentions. Harry's opinion of Snape however had neither improved nor worsened during his stay at Netherfield.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**__ Competition time! Somewhere in this update is a quote from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it's been fiddled with a little so that it would fit in better so you dont have to quote it exactly but the first person who reviews with the correct answer gets the next update the minute it's finished, before even my beta gets it! Remember though if you're not signed in then I cant exactly forward the chapter to you!_

_Send your praises and adulation to Sad Eyed Lady of the Low Life who makes sure this turns out readable! She's just after starting a brilliant story called Baring your Soul, it's Sirius/Remus and it's brilliant! Trust me on this, I'm the beta so I'm in the know ;)_

It would be good to note at this point that while the wizarding world had seamlessly blended into the muggle world at large, there was still a government to govern those of a magical nature and laws to protect both wizards and muggles. Of course the reality of such laws requires the presence of those to enforce them. Through a well hidden network of wizards and witches in various influential positions, the Auror corps were able to disguise themselves as an elite band of the Empires soldiers. No-one questioned their existence, each General believing them to be the responsibility of another.

Therefore the sudden presence of a large number of trainee aurors in Ottery St. Catchpole was a cause of excitement for both muggle and wizard alike. The young ladies of the area all suddenly found themselves in need of various items from the village on a near daily basis, each needing to pass by the barracks at least once. The unmarried witches (and single wizards, though their admiration was more discreetly shown, however gaining access to the aurors was easier for these men as the excuses of card games and conversation simply signified a budding friendship in the minds of muggles) in the area too were affected. Even more so when they discovered that these young men were of the same 'background' as themselves.

All of this meant that Ginny Weasley was to be found in town, specifically at the barracks or the private rooms in the local inns for a number of hours each day. Generally, she managed to escape the more rigid supervision of her older brother Harry or their Tutor Remus, taking only Ron, who, once his pride had been appealed to, was easily convinced to follow his little sister into less than proper situations. Never once thinking that her presence at drinking matches, arm wrestling contests and men only card games could lead to her and her families name and reputation becoming tainted. Unfortunately for Ginny, Remus and Harry soon realised that Ron was not the best of guardians and resolved themselves to accompany her on each of her trips to town.

During one such trip (and already being exhausted from having to deal with Ginny's increasingly vapid conversation on the seasons fashions) Remus and Harry found their attention caught, along with the attention of every lady nearby, by a young man whom they had never seen before, walking with an auror on each side. His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty – a fine countenance, a good figure, and a very pleasing address. Harry began to wonder what this man would look like in the regimentals of his companions, blaming his small fantasy on the completely charming smile the blonde was currently giving him.

As it happens Ginny was already acquainted with both of the blonde's companions and was able to garner an introduction to the interesting new man for her and her companions. Feeling guilty at how happy he was Ginny knew the Aurors (as he did not believe it was a very savoury relationship between his adoptive little sister and most of the Aurors, or at least was on its way to becoming less than appropriate) Harry was delighted to be introduced to the handsome young Auror. Draco Zabini had been transferred to the corps from a French regiment, though he himself was English. He had just arrived at Ottery St. Catchpole and was on his way to pick up his uniform and was free to introduce himself to all and sundry as his captain had met him on his way into town and given him the day to become acquainted with the area.

Harry was enjoying his conversation with Draco quite thoroughly (neither young man wanted the formality of address to interfere with this chance at friendship and had introduced themselves with their first name, allowing the other this intimacy from the beginning) when he noticed both Sirius Black and Severus Snape approaching their group. Both Sirius and Remus lit up at the sight of each other, each eager to join the other. Severus Snape who, while not overly friendly, still managed a civil inclination of his head towards Harry before his attention was caught and held by Harry's new friend, his body freezing and his face loosing what Harry now realised was the beginnings of a smile. Deciding to do his social duty Harry began to introduce Sirius and Snape to his new companions. "Mr. Snape, Mr. Black I do not know if you have met Miss Weasley and Mr. Ron Weasley?" At Sirius's exclamation that he had met both Ron and Ginny at the dance but that he was happy to make their acquaintance once again Harry moved on to the aurors. "This is Mr. Cedric Diggory, Mr. Oliver Wood and finally our newest guest Mr. Draco Zabini." Harry couldn't help but notice Snape's reaction to Draco's name (observing Snape as closely as he was. Though had anyone mentioned it he would have brushed it off as polite attentiveness). There was no doubt in his mind now that not only were Draco and Snape acquainted in some way but that their acquaintance was a strained and possibly unhappy one.

When both gentlemen had said their goodbyes (Remus very nearly making his excuses to follow Sirius before recalling himself) and Harry had managed to draw Draco slightly apart from their happy group, Harry brought up Snape's apparent familiarity with Draco.

"You are right Harry I am well acquainted with Severus, however I'm afraid we do not have a pleasant history. Now I can see the curiosity in your eyes my dear Harry but I could not possibly speak about such a private matter." Harry had just enough time to feel ashamed of his disappointment at not hearing what was sure to be a fascinating tale when Draco added with a smirk devilish enough to contradict his angelic looks "at least not in public." Harry beamed. While he was truly interested in Draco's story it was Draco's comportment, his witty banter and his truly lovely manner that caused Harry to smile, here was a young man he could easily see becoming as close a friend as Remus. And Harry was not insensible to Draco's looks either.

* * *

It didn't take long before a number of the visiting Aurors were invited to the Burrow for dinner, Draco of course being among their number. After a pleasant dinner, made even more enjoyable by Draco's wit and sincere flattery (all of which endeared him to every member of the Weasley household, none more so than Harry) Draco and Harry retired to a quiet corner of the room away from the gaiety of the many card games the rest of their company were engaged in.

"Now that I have you alone Harry, I do believe you displayed an interest in my past dealings with Mr. Snape? No need to feel embarrassed, your curiosity is one of the many things I find interesting about you Harry. But first, before I tell you my tale you must promise me that you will not think too ill of Snape. He done what he felt was right and I must thank him for if it were not for his actions, as ill as they made me at the time, I never would have joined the Aurors and come to this lovely village. Not to mention that I would never have made your acquaintance, which would have been a most grievous occurrence. You must also bear in mind that in this it is impossible for me to be impartial. My opinion of Mr. Snape is no longer disagreeable, but neither is it favourable either."

Intrigued and completely captivated by his new friend, Harry listened eagerly to all that Draco had to say.

* * *

Zabini, as it turns out, was not Draco's true name. Having been born of wealthy pure blood parents and raised to embody all the qualities of the perfect heir, Draco's ensuing defiance and refusal to follow "archaic and demeaning" customs came as a severe shock to his parents. Subsequently Draco found himself disowned, without money or living arrangements so when the offer of a potions apprenticeship came up he immediately agreed to all conditions set by the potions master, one Severus Snape.

* * *

"Wait, Snape is a potions master?"

Taking Harry's interruption with all the patience and good manners expected of him Draco answered "not just any potions master, Severus Snape is one of the most celebrated, world renowned potions masters alive today! He does not take apprentice's very often but those that he does take on have all benefited greatly from his guidance."

Harry was left with a small sense of disquiet on remembering the potions Sirius supplied for Remus during his 'stay' at Netherfield. Why would Snape offer such a kindness to those he had shown no interest in before? Or was it just on Sirius's request that those costly potions were supplied?

* * *

Draco had sold anything left to him of value. Now in a much sorrier state than he had been, Draco used all the money he had amassed to procure all the necessary potions materials and books. Only to be told upon arriving for his first day as an apprentice, and in the coldest most callous manner, that he was no longer required and that the apprenticeship had been given to another. Had it not been for the unexpected help from an old friend Draco had no idea what would have become of him. In order not to bring any shame to his estranged family he took the name of his saviour and friend Blaise Zabini. When the chance to join the aurors came Draco took it, wishing to ease the burden of supplying him with his needs that the Zambini's had so kindly assisted him with.

* * *

"So you see my opinion of Severus Snape can never be relied upon. Our history holds too much for either of us to ever be anything but civil to each other."

Incensed on his friends behalf Harry assured the blonde that he was not alone in his assessment of Snape.

* * *

When Harry later related to Remus all that Draco had told him of Snape Remus was astonished and concerned. While Remus was in no doubt that Snape was lacking in some of the civilities expected of a gentleman, especially while in company, he could not believe that such a close friend of Sirius would deny someone a promised (and vital) source of income. Also to go back on his word was such a reprehensible act from one in such a vaunted position in society that Remus could not believe Snape capable of it.

"Perhaps there was a mistake in communication? Perhaps one or the other mistook the intentions and hopes of the former?" argued Remus.

"What is there to mistake Remus? With so much at stake how could Snape truly misunderstand the position Draco was in? By denying him the chance to supply himself with a steady income Snape showed his true, spiteful character."

"I'm sorry Harry but I cannot believe that Mr. Black would have a man of such a bad character as his close friend! From what I have seen Draco too seems to be a most honourable young man, leaving me with the only other option, that this must be some sort of mistake." Remus was simply not in the habit of thinking ill of others. He did of course notice things such as bad manners and other ill bred behaviour (for instance Snape's comments about Harry and the Weasley's during the dance some weeks previous) but such things could be forgiven, or at the very least ignored.

"Your Sirius is truly a good man, but tell me Remus, do you think he would disagree with someone who imposed himself upon them? Or do you think he would avoid the company of a man who finds himself in Sirius's cousins presence as often as Snape does? But I shall keep my opinions to myself and simply hope for Mr. Snape's departure from Netherfield to come quickly."

* * *

Despite joining the muggle world those of the wizarding world (who were willing to put the time and effort into organising such an event) would at times throw a 'magical beings only' dance, dinner or ball. Having learned that drawing excessive attention to yourself could only lead to hardship and running the risk of discovery, a clever system was set in place. To put it simply, muggles _were_ invited. Nothing drew attention swifter than not being invited to such social occasions. Such slights were not forgiven by those who wished to improve their standing. To avoid all this negative attention, when a magic only dance was to be thrown invites were sent out to both magical and muggle families. The only difference being that the charms weaved into such invites affected muggles only. Those without magic in their blood would notice the invite but find themselves either feeling apathetic about the party, thus making their own excuses to not attend or perhaps they would forget until the day after or even believe that some other event clashed with the dance, only realising they were mistaken once the event was over. Many an apology had been made to those throwing such an event for not attending, and their kindness in inviting the unsuspecting muggle was remembered in their favour.

Colonel Kingsley Shaklebolt, with the assistance of the men under his command, decided to throw such a dance shortly after they had been stationed in Ottery St. Catchpole. Reasoning that the local magical community and the trainee auror's would benefit from getting to know each other in a more relaxed environment. Relaxed meaning away from the intolerant eyes of muggles.

Harry, excited at the prospect of his first magic only dance (having been considered much too young to attend the last one some 4 years previous), graciously complimented both Bella and Narcissa on their attire and acknowledged Snape (and the somewhat sober Lucius) while greeting Sirius. His happy mood was soon dispelled when Oliver Wood, a friend of Draco's, came up to him with a message from the blonde. Draco would not be coming to the dance. Feeling that his appearance might cause "persons you and I both know to be of the most offensive character" to forget themselves and cause a scene disturbing such a rare and looked forward to event. His conscience would not allow him to chance tainting the gathering with the unpleasantness of his and Snape's quarrel. To Harry, Draco was now the epitome of all that was good, and Snape's presence, while once tolerated, was now offensive to him. Determined not to let his bad mood show and possibly interfere with the festivities, especially Remus's enjoyment of procuring all of Sirius's attention for himself along with having Sirius as his partner for every dance he cared to stand up for, Harry mingled, hoping to distract himself from his murderous thoughts surrounding the tall thin man in black.

* * *

Harry's attempts at maintaining his temper were sorely tested but half an hour into the dance when he was approached by the source of his woes, Severus Snape himself. Although surprised at the unexpected invitation to dance Harry managed to politely, but firmly rebuff Snapes invitation. When, however, Snape continued to attempt to engage Harry in conversation their first meeting came to his mind, and unable to completely contain his temper Harry curtly replied "I'm sure there are others here who possess a… 'deeper' mind than mine, would you not be best served by joining them instead of bearing through my tedious wit?" Snapes silent and steady gaze left Harry perturbed before Snape finally replied "Very well", bowed, and left.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_**_ Ridiculously long author's not at the end of this, sorry I took so long! Enjoy!_

* * *

After many years of contented, if occasionally explosive matrimony, and happy fatherhood to some of the most mischievous young wizards in the country, Arthur Weasley had developed a somewhat thick skin.

When his wife had proposed to _him_ some 30 years previous Arthur had been surprised but delighted. On reflection he realised he should have seen that coming, after all Molly was the most head strong, independent, lovely, woman he had ever met. His older sons choices in careers had also been surprising, but pleasantly so.

His oldest son Bill had not only secured employment in the wizarding world, a rarity in itself, but in Gringotts bank! The renowned goblin run bank rarely hired any other species but their own, an understandable practise considering the goblin wars and the continued bad blood between goblins and wizards. Goblins trust only goblins. Their stringent security practises and unflappable integrity encouraged wealthy purebloods to store wealth, heirlooms and magical objects within Gringotts vaults. Adding a happy marriage to a beautiful part veela to his prestigious position, Bill Weasley had done very well for himself. The addition of two children was less surprising but still a happy circumstance.

Charlie Weasley had taken a different route. Mrs. Weasley was less than pleasantly surprised to find her second child had decided to not only move country, but that he would be engaged in handling some of the most dangerous magical creatures in existence. Refusing to be dissuaded, Charlie Weasley packed his bags and joined a newly established dragon reserve in Romania. After a year of fretful worry, Mrs. Weasley eventually let pride overtake fear on seeing her son's transformation from a once ornery, gangly youth, to a handsome, healthy and happy man.

The twins Fred and George had taken after their father in countenance and character, meaning that their pranks may have been shocking to others but old hat to Mr. Weasley (he was after all the originator of the bat bogey hex). Their seeming innate knowledge of potions and charms when it came to their creations however marked them for greatness in Mr. Weasley's eyes.

Ron and Ginny, Mr. Weasley hoped, simply needed more time to mature.

Then came Harry. While not a son in blood, Harry was a son in heart to Mr. Weasley. Arthur Weasley had always felt a sense of guilt when it came to Harry. No longer able to afford the expense of sending his youngest children to Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley had hoped hiring a tutor may help. When he saw how Harry came along in leaps and bounds under the guidance of Remus, Arthur could not shake the feeling that perhaps Harry would have benefited more from the education supplied at Hogwarts. After all Remus could not be expected to cover every aspect of Harry's education as thoroughly as the individual teachers in the wizarding school. Had Harry any close relatives Mr. Weasley could have applied to them for assistance in funding Harry's education. He had however been informed on adopting Harry that there were no relatives left to care for the child. What he should have been told was that Harry had no relatives who _wished_ to care for him. So one of the biggest surprises Arthur Weasley had ever experienced occurred on reading a letter addressed to him, and signed Petunia Dursley.

* * *

Having a temper as fiery as her hair, Mrs. Weasley could not be prevailed upon by her husband to keep her voice down, as they discussed the reprehensible manner and motives of their son's relatives. Her cry of "how could they do this to Harry!" was overheard by Harry himself, who came directly to Mr. Weasley's study, hoping to ease whatever distress his mother was experiencing.

"Are you quite alright mother? What has upset you so much? How could who do what to me?"

The guilty expressions on his adoptive parents faces followed by assurances that everything was alright did not reassure Harry. Using all persuasiveness available to him, Harry eventually managed to secure his parents deepest sympathy, and the reprehensible letter itself.

* * *

The facts were these; Mrs. Petunia Dursley was the sister of Harry's late mother, Lily Potter (née Evans). Despite once being as close as sisters could be, coldness and disdain had arisen on Petunia's part soon after Lily's magical abilities had manifested fully. While aware her once beloved sister had married, Petunia had by then cut off all contact with Lily, all knowledge was relayed to her second hand by the sister's parents. After Mr. and Mrs. Evan's death, this little trickle of knowledge had closed completely. Learning about Lily and James's death through the paper had been a blow to Mrs. Dursley. Petunia had grieved her sister, but the reminder of that wasted filial love was not enough to prevail upon her to adopt her nephew. Turning her back on her secret knowledge of the magical world, Petunia had married the most bigoted, hard headed, prejudiced muggle she could find. Mr. Vernon Dursley. She then proceeded to supply him with an equally feckless son, Dudley Dursley. The thought of now bringing her nephew (who no doubt was as abnormal as her sister had been) into her painfully normal home was ridiculous. Others of his kind would care for him (though they had failed to care for her sister), she would not be responsible for a child she had never met. Believing herself to be rid of Harry, Petunia had dismissed him from her mind. Until circumstances had made her connection to him beneficial.

Mr. Dursley was seeking to do business with Sirius Black, and having had no luck in contacting Mr. Black in London, was determined to come to Ottery St. Catchpole in the hopes of intruding upon Sirius's social circle. The prospect of free accommodation for him and his family, as well as a tutor he need not pay, which his son may take advantage of, was all the impetus Vernon Dursley needed to convince his wife to contact her estranged nephew.

The inconvenience for the Weasleys was never thought of. That a magical family must hide what they were in order for them not to be exposed to this overbearing muggle family was expected but not valued (Petunia had made it clear, many times over in her letter, that her precious family were not to be exposed to any form of magic. Her husband and son were ignorant of the magical world and were to stay that way. Even in his state of shock Harry could not but help smiling sardonically at his estranged aunt's avoidance of even the word magic, instead using implications and a litany of euphemisms. Even in letter form, Harry could sense the disgust his aunt felt towards magic).

After reassuring Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that, while shocked, Harry was open to the Dursleys visit, and that he simply needed some time to come to terms with this new information, Harry fled the room. Searching out Remus as quickly as he could, Harry confiscated his friend for the best part of an hour, requiring the rational mind and steady comfort readily given by the werewolf. The realisation that he had been unwanted because of his magic had hurt Harry more than he had let on. Added to that was the indignity of being used solely for their own comfort. Harry hated that in spite of this insult, he still wished to meet the only family left to him. Cursing his weakness Harry turned more fully into Remus's embrace.

* * *

The arrival of the Dursleys at the Burrow was a strained affair. Mrs. Weasley had taken a calming draught in anticipation of the Dursleys arrival, however the potion was hard pressed to soothe her jangled nerves when faced with Petunia's constant veiled criticism and sanctimonious attitude. After her empty declarations of affection on meeting Harry, Petunia had proceeded to compare every room, ornament and furnishing within the Burrow to Pembroke Hall, a large residence close by the Dursleys home. Apparently Lady Umbridge of Pembroke Hall had gifted Mrs. Dursley with her association (a matter of great pride to Petunia) and counsel on a great many things, which Petunia happily reiterated to Molly on a continuous basis,

Vernon Dursley was instantly revealed to be the worst sort of man. His boorish manners and selfishness were shown when, upon arriving at the burrow, and before even greeting his hosts, he loudly declared that he was hungry and was in no mood for conversation until such a time as his stomach was sufficiently filled, before listing off his favourite dishes and his need for a comfortable chair. Had Arthur Weasley not loved Harry half as much as he did, he would have thrown Mr. Dursley off his land. Possibly hexing him as he did so.

The only impression Dudley Dursley made was "large, annoying and probably a drunkard."

Once dinner had been served and the loud sounds of mastication had eased, Vernon Dursley found himself more amenable to conversation. The Weasley's soon wished he had kept eating. It was obvious that Mr. Dursley had zero business sense but was proficient at eavesdropping and miserly with his money in every other respect. What little attention he spared from his meal was directed towards Mr. Weasley, haranguing him as to when the next social event in Ottery St. Catchpole would be, how it must be soon, and Sirius Black must be there. Mr. Weasley could easily see that discussing the matter would be futile, so with the practise of a man long married, nodded his head at all the appropriate times without actually hearing a word.

* * *

Unfortunately for the Weasley's it was some time before they could introduce the Dursley's to society. I say unfortunately for the Weasley's, as while Vernon Dursley complained the loudest it was the Weasley's who had to bear the insufferable company of their guests. Dudley had revealed himself to be cleverer than his father in one sense, in that he was smart enough not to get caught when taunting and insulting Harry. His poor progress in his subjects was blamed on Remus's "inferior" style of teaching. Remus was obviously not used to dealing with someone as advanced as Dudley, Petunia insisted. For the sake of peace Remus endured this false criticism, though he was secretly relieved when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley took him aside and explained that they didn't believe the Dursleys and knew the fault lay with Dudley.

* * *

Eventually a dance was thrown. The stress in the Weasley household reached its peak the day of the dance with Petunia running around the house screaming for her sons cravat accusing everyone for stealing the delicate piece of silk, only to find the offending item in said sons pocket, and heavily stained. She then raced around the house demanding a replacement. Each alternative failed to meet Petunia's standards. With out asking for leave, Mrs. Dursley confiscated the family coach and insisted on being driven into town to buy another cravat for her precious Dudley. When she returned with the most hideous, overly florid piece of material ever seen, Harry nearly laughed. Especially after seeing Dudley sporting the atrocity.

Upon arriving at the dance Harry chose the cowards way out and abandoned his family in search of Draco. He felt guilty leaving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to introduce the Dursleys to their circle of friends, but he would return and liberate them… later, just as soon as he had met with Draco and shared all his news with the blonde.

"Harry! Who are those people with the Weasleys? My God what is the younger one wearing around his neck?"

Harry's grin grew even wider. Trust Draco to get straight to the point.

"They, Draco, are the Dursleys. Mrs. Petunia Dursley, Mr. Vernon Dursley and Mister Dudley Dursley accompanied by a truly unfortunate, though no doubt expensive cravat."

A noise of disgust escaped Draco as he stared at the horrific creation secured around Dudley's neck, highlighting the inherited double chins and blotchy complexion found in alcoholics. Fitting, as Dudley was already well on his way to being inebriated. Upon returning home Arthur Weasley would find one of his finest bottles of scotch empty.

Harry continued. "Mrs. Dursley is my aunt, on my late mothers side."

A look of surprise flitted across Draco's face before retreating behind his pleasant smile. "I have a feeling I shall have to steal you away Harry" – Harry scolded his heart when it jumped – "I've no doubt there is some truly regaling tale behind your sudden acquisition of family members, and I do not think I can last very long before becoming completely consumed with curiosity. Do not leave me in the dark too long dear friend! But for now, as our exclusive devotion to this private conversation is no doubt highly unsociable, come introduce me to your enviably new family Harry and let me see if I may find where an angel such as yourself came from."

While Harry was used to Draco's complimentary way of speech by now, even he could not suppress the slightest of blushes at such flattery. The gentle pleasure at such accolades were presently overshadowed by the shame of being related to the Dursleys. Petunia's arrogance and condescension, and Vernon's loud and brutish manner were on full display. Draco managed to impress them to some degree (more so than poor Harry had managed in the entire time they had been staying at the Burrow) and even charmed Mrs. Dursley into a dance. His whispered comments to Harry before he left the suitably captivated Dursleys to mingle further were a great source of amusement to the mortified boy.

"It seems her horse like attributes extend to her feet, I think I shall go fetch her some oats. Go associate with more worthy companions Harry, for I fear the company you shall have once you return home with those Dursleys"

Taking Draco's advice, Harry went in search of intelligent conversation.

* * *

Had the residents of Ottery St. Catchpole known Severus Snape as well as, say, Sirius Black, they would have been able to recognise the amused glint in his eyes and slight quirk to his lips. Having followed his line of sight they would have quickly discerned the source of his amusement.

Sirius Black was doing everything in his power to escape Vernon Dursley. No young lady was left without a dance partner, no conversation too boring to join, no pillar too slim to discreetly slip behind. And yet every time Sirius had believed himself to be free of the pest, there Vernon would be, attempting to pin him down with conversations of business ventures and deals, all of which any sane and competent business man would turn his nose up at. However, Sirius didn't wish to simply deny Vernon Dursley his business. The Dursleys entered with the Weasleys, they were introduced to many by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Until Sirius could be certain that rejecting Mr. Dursley's propositions would not insult the Weasleys (and thereby possibly offend Remus) he would have to avoid the man. Usually he could shelter beside Severus, whose scowl would normally send lesser men running, however Mr. Dursley seemed to have no concept of self preservation. The one time Sirius had escaped to his friends side Mr. Dursley had approached them anyway and proceeded to insult and disparage everything about Severus, from his style of dress, the way he wore his hair and even his nose. Sirius had all but ran from the conversation, hoping to draw the foolish muggle away with him. He didn't wish to see his friend in trouble for cursing the ignoramus.

Eventually Vernon became distracted by a card game in the parlour. Sighing in relief Sirius rejoined Severus, who had found a friendly, sort of raggedly distinguished looking muggle to converse with. Joining the conversation with an apologetic glance towards Severus, Sirius turned his attention to the man who introduced himself as a Mr. Bennett, and obviously had spotted Sirius's antics.

"Finally escaped did you?"

Sirus couldn't help but reply with an embarrassed "ah… um… well."

"No need to worry my dear Mr. Black, we all here feel your irritation at that man. I'm afraid even the Weasley's, who are one of the most hospitable of families in the area, are finding it difficult to deal with these Dursleys. It's hard to believe that young Harry could come from such stock."

Sirius and Severus had had many a discussion on Harry's differing appearance in comparison to the Weasleys. Severus speculated that Harry was an illegitimate son and either Mr. or Mrs. Weasley had played false to their partner, how they dealt with obviously being cuckold was a mystery to him. Sirius proposed that Harry was simply a cousin of the Weasleys who had been given to them by his family, however Harry did not resemble these Dursleys either, perhaps he was from another side of the family? Now that the two friends were faced with an obviously gossipy muggle they silently decided to gain answers to their questions.

"Mr. Bennett" Sirius began, "forgive me for asking this, but can you settle a matter between my friend and I? You see we have both been puzzling over Mr. Harry Weasley's colouring."

"Mr. Harry Potter you mean." Both Sirius and Severus froze at the sound of that name.

Snape regained himself first. "Potter did you say? Tell me is he any relation of a Mr. James and Mrs. Lily Potter?"

"Why yes! Did you know them? Poor Harry was adopted by the Weasleys soon after his parents death some, oh it must be twenty odd years now. We were led to believe that there were no living relatives left, so needless to say we were all quite surprised to learn that Harry has an aunt, none more so than Harry I'd say, poor boy."

Mr. Bennett soon moved on to converse with other circles, Mr. Black and Mr. Snape seemed to have lost the ability to hold a conversation. He would give them some time to recover from this strange fit of theirs and return to the otherwise pleasant discussion they had been having later.

* * *

As soon as Sirius had discovered a quiet room he returned to the parlour and all but dragged Severus away with him, warding, locking and silencing the doors. Before Snape could even begin to protest at his treatment Sirius started.

"What the bloody hell happened while I was gone Severus! Why am I only learning now that my best friend had a son! Why was I never told? I would have happily taken him in as my own, I'm sure James would have meant for me to take Harry! Why didn't you tell me Severus?"

"Sirius" Snape paused until he had his friends attention "I could not tell you what I was not aware of." With a deep sigh Severus continued. "I told you before you left the country, that relations between myself and Lily had become, strained. While you were gone it grew progressively worse. When she ceased to reply to my letters I believed she needed time away from my, admittedly, caustic personality. After nearly a year of waiting I wrote a letter to Mr. Potter, simply asking that he assuage my fears for his wives health. When no reply came I began to worry. I attempted to pay the Potters a visit only to find they had moved. Every attempt to find them came to naught. I'm afraid they'd gone into hiding by that time already Sirius, we both know why." Both gentlemen became quiet and solemn at that.

"I'm just surprised James didn't tell me he was a father. Would it really have been so hard to get a message to me? No matter what country I was in I always left a forwarding address with either you Severus or with my butler at the town house. Surely he should have known I would return, especially as we both now know they were in trouble. We could have helped them Severus…"

"Do not blame yourself Sirius. We know now that Riddle was clever, mad but clever. With a child on the way perhaps Potter did not wish to risk revealing his location? Owls can be intercepted after all, it's difficult but we know that madman was not above using dark magic."

"What baffles me Severus, is why I was not contacted? James and I are listed as business partners, true it is in name only, but still! Why was neither I, nor anyone connected to me contacted? Magical children are to be handled by fellow wizards only! It sounds as if Harry was left to be adopted by anyone! What would have happened had a muggle family taken him in? This smacks of incompetence and I want to know who to blame. Perhaps that's childish of me but if it turns out idiocy and carelessness deprived me of the chance to raise my god child than I want retribution."

"I agree Sirius, but perhaps you had best refrain from declaring yourself as Mr. Potter's godfather just yet. Come we should return home where we can discuss this comfortably, instead of hiding away like this. Surely our absence should be noted by now."

With that the two fetched Narcissa and Bellatrix (who were more than happy to flee the wandering hands of a very drunk Dudley Dursley) and returned home to ponder what could have been.

* * *

_Righty! First off I'm so sorry this took so long! You've no idea how many times I had to scrap the beginning of this chapter, then this ending came out of nowhere and I had to double check my outline to make sure it wouldn't ruin later chapters (it wont! phew!) but my lovely beta sadeyedladyofthelowlife tirelessly pestered me for this, even going so far as to text me in five different languages asking "where's chapter 5?". Including Swahili! Good news is chapter 6 is an easy one for me and will hopefully be up within a week. She also managed to convince me not to chop this into two chapters, go thank her! And while you're at it read and review her baring your soul fic! Tis lovely!_

_Loads of people have been asking me who was going to be Mr. Collins, did anyone guess the Dursleys? I know Mr. Collins was meant to be a (one-sided) love interest for Lizzy in the books but while Jane Austen may have been able to juggle three different love interests for her heroines, I just dont have to ability to write that and not mess it up. I'm sticking to the original Pride and Prejudice fairly closely in the main, but I'm not going to rigidly adhere to her story line. Plus The Dursleys are fairly important in a few chapters._

_ I've got a bit of actual history in this chapter!_ "Sirius proposed that Harry was simply a cousin of the Weasleys who had been given to them by his family" _is a refrence to a very common practise during Austens time of 'giving' one of your children to a childless relative to raise as their own, often the kid ended up taking the adoptive parents surname and become their heirs. For example in Emma Frank Churchill's Father is Mr. Weston, he was given up to his uncle after the death of his mother and when he was old enough took the Churchill name and became the heir. Jane Austen's own brother Edward was given to her father's second cousing (who was childless) and became Edward Knight in his thirties (I think). Of course the Weasley's are far from childless but it wasn't unheard of to take a child when you've one or two of your own._

_I haven't replied to a few reviews but I'm not ignoring them! I just figured you'd prefer the chapter first =)_

_Finally, congratulations to suzuki1969 for spotting the quote last chapter!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N** At long last here is chapter 6! Sorry it took me so long, I've many many reasons but they're way too boring to mention. I usually do another few read throughs before submitting a story but if I was to do that you'd be left waiting another week. This I'm afraid is more of a short filler chapter than anything but I can promise that the next chapter has much more interesting going ons and is absolutely massive. Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews I've been recieving I'm still amazed at how well this story has gone down! I have to apologise though to any reviewers that I didn't reply to. I recently found a bunch of reviews for this and other stories that I'd marked as replied to but hadn't, so sorry about that._

_To Nibs, you get your wish in this chapter, thank you for reminding me of one of my favourite scenes in pride and prejudice!_

_A fairly large chunk of this was written with pride and prejudice open beside me so quite a few sentences will seem familiar, I not only dont own this story or the characters let alone the plot but I've had to resort to outright copying when it comes to the dance scene, everything here belongs to Jane Austen (who is a genius) and J K Rowling (who is brilliant)._

_Finally thank you to my beta sadeyedladyofthelowlife, for harassing me and providing tea and innuendo on a near daily basis =)_

* * *

A week after the dance saw the Dursleys readying themselves to return to their home, much to the Weasleys barely contained delight. Vernon Dursley was in foul humour having failed to pin Sirius Black down to any promises of business. Having apparently decided to blame his host family for his failure, Vernon had spent the week barking one word answers to every polite enquiry and had retreated to the chaise the moment it had pulled up, leaving the packing of their belongings and all polite parting conversation to his wife. His son joined him, hoping to return home as soon as possible. Dudley's 'popularity' at home did not seem to travel well. He had been spurned by each and every lady he had met during his visit and was determined to believe the women of Ottery St. Catchpole were all horribly plain and below his notice (now that he had noticed them and not been noticed in return, of course).

Petunia supervised the loading of her family's baggage onto the chaise while promising Mrs. Weasley that she would write soon once she had asked Lady Umbridge what advice she could give her, seeing as she was obviously too busy with her many children to decorate her house. Molly's disingenuous reply of "I shall wait impatiently for your letter my dear Petunia" was ignored.

When the last of the baggage was loaded and Petunia began to make her way to boarding the chaise, Harry gathered his courage and gently took his aunt aside. Seeing the impatience in her expression Harry rushed to explain himself.

"Aunt Petunia I know you do not care for me and my kind but you are the only one left who knew my parents intimately. Mr. Weasley has told me all he remembers but they were only ever acquaintances, not friends. Do you have anything of my mothers that you might bear to be parted with? I'm afraid I have nothing left of either of my parents, only their names. Might I please write to you occasionally? I do not wish to lose the only member of my mother's family left."

Perhaps it was the fact that Harry had called her Aunt, igniting the tiny portion of familial love for her sister left in Petunia, maybe it was the desperation in Harry's voice or the fact that he was obviously expecting rejection, either way, for the first time Petunia Dursley softened towards her nephew.

Laying her hand on Harry's arm Petunia replied "you must come visit, until you do however, I shall expect regular correspondence" and with an attempt at a kind smile Petunia joined her husband and son in the chaise and left.

* * *

Life at the Burrow soon settled down again. Having fretted and pestered Remus over what would be the appropriate amount of time to wait before writing, Harry found himself writing to his aunt every week without fail. While their letters were filled mainly with pleasantries and what little news either had, it left Harry with a warm feeling to see how promptly Petunia responded to his letters and how much effort she made to make them entertaining.

Draco continued to be a regular visitor to the Burrow, his excuse being that Harry was simply the only one he could have a proper conversation with, this was always said with good humour and in company, and was regularly replied to by all in company with feigned expressions of offence and broken hearts.

Sirius too continued to call upon Remus, though Snape no longer joined him in his visits. Remus would visit Netherfield but never in the week leading up to the full moon. The idiom 'once bitten twice shy' was never more apt. Remus could no longer deny that he was irrevocably smitten with Sirius, though he kept this between Harry and himself.

When Snape left Netherfield to return to London Harry found himself to be both relieved and oddly bereft. The man may have been disagreeable and overly proud, but he had served as a great distraction for Narcissa and Bellatrix, keeping their attention from being solely fixed on Remus.

Unfortunately for Remus the two women were able to hurt the werewolf where it hurt the most. With a short missive, explaining everything and nothing, Bella informed Remus that their party were departing for London and would most likely not return. The reason given was some business venture of Sirius's. No letter nor visit from Sirius came, not even a forwarding address in London. To say that Remus was heartbroken was an understatement. While he may have kept his feelings for Sirius private, Remus had truly believed that Sirius felt something for him in return, if only as a close friendship on Sirius's part.

* * *

The two weeks following Sirius's departure saw Remus become even more quiet and withdrawn. He continued in his duties as tutor to the Weasley children and did not let his friendship with Harry suffer, however all could see that Remus was not the man he was but a fortnight ago. Harry's attempts to lighten the sandy haired man's mood all met with failure, and Remus now avoided any conversation revolving around the missing Mr. Black. Thankfully a possible cure for Remus's morose mood came in the form of Bill Weasley. During a quick visit (via floo and therefore not to be mentioned to their muggle neighbours) the eldest Weasley son invited both Harry and Remus to visit him in London for a week, longer if they wished. The promise of fresh young minds to teach (Bill and Fleur's two daughters were too young to attend Hogwarts) and the change of scenery was enough to interest Remus, which was reason enough for Harry to accompany him.

* * *

Harry wandered nervously through the crowd of unfamiliar witches and wizards, politely nodding in acknowledgement to those who looked his way. He and Remus had been in London nearly a week when they were invited to a purely wizarding gathering. Harry had jumped at the chance to attend a second of these rare events, after all it could be years before he would see another one. The fact that he knew no one in London but his own party never truly came into Harry's mind until he was separated from his group. Looking around for a familiar face, Harry was taken by surprise by very familiar rich and resonant voice. There, conversing with a small group of rather distinguished looking gentlemen was Severus Snape. Deciding he would rather keep his own company rather than face the coldness of Mr. Snape, Harry turned his attention to another part of the room, only for his escape to be halted when his name was called out.

"Mr. Potter, what an unexpected surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company."

Harry turned with a smile on his face. "Mr. Flammell! When did you return to England? My brother Bill, his wife and our friend Remus are all here tonight, I'm sure they would be delighted to see you."

Nicholas Flammell had passed through Ottery St. Catchpole some years previous and was prevailed upon by Arthur Weasley and a very young Harry (who's childish arguments as to why Mr. Flammell should stay consisted of "you can look at my books if you like?" and offers to share Harry's dinner) to stay at the Burrow. Since the beginning of their friendship Mr. Flammell would send letters to the Weasley a few times a year, usually full of information on his travels around the globe and little gifts for each of the Weasley children, his visits were rare. As a famous alchemist his visits were rare and he found himself away from England for long stretches of time, sometimes years.

"Before we go hunt for your companions Harry, let me introduce to my godson, Mr. Severus Snape."

The discomfort visible on Snape's face matched that felt by Harry. Thankfully it was Snape who broke the news to Nicholas that Harry and Severus had met previously. Harry seriously doubted that Mr. Flammell was as innocent as he appeared when he began to exclaim his joy at finding his "two favourite young men" were now friends, before insisting that Severus should show Harry around. In fact the little grin spreading across Nicholas's face as Snape led Harry away attested to that.

* * *

The stilted pleasantries between himself and Mr. Potter were beginning to grate on Severus. Harry had responded to each of his enquiries with polite but short answers, each followed by uncomfortable silences until Severus could think of some point of interest to show to Harry. His one enquiry as to the health of Harry's family was answered that all were well, except Remus who seemed to be suffering some malady of the spirit. The silence following the unvoiced reason behind Remus's dispirited apathy almost convinced Severus to simply leave his companion thereby ending this awkward torment for them both. Deciding to attempt one last time to get some pleasant or at least interesting reaction from Harry, Severus asked a question he genuinely wanted the answer to.

"I was not aware that you attended the social scene in London Mr. Potter."

"This is my first time."

When Harry added no more to his reply Severus huffed in frustration. "Well Mr. Potter, it seems that we have run out of interesting ornaments and stucco work to admire." Glancing at the dancing couples Severus tried one more tactic. "However seeing as this is your first London event it would be a shame should you leave without first having a turn on the floor." Bowing low Severus continued "would you do me the honour of granting me your first dance Mr. Potter?"

Harry's first reaction was to refuse Snape in no uncertain terms, but they seemed to have caught the attention of a number of guests, including Nicholas. Not wanting to disappoint his friend, Harry inclined his head in acceptance.

* * *

They stood for some time without speaking a word, Harry began to imagine that their silence was to last through the two dances, and at first was resolved not to break it; till suddenly fancying that it would be the greater punishment on his partner to oblige him to talk, he made some slight observation on the dance. Snape replied, and was again silent. After a pause of some minutes Harry made a small noise of interest. Snape kept silent for a short while longer before conceding his curiosity and asking what it was that Harry had found interesting.

"Simply wondering if you do not talk as a custom while you are dancing Mr. Snape, when earlier you sought every opportunity to converse."

Snape couldn't help but quirk his lips in a smile, finally it seems he had stirred some interest in the messy haired young man.

"Sometimes one must speak little, however I grant that it would look odd to be entirely silent when it was I who requested this dance. So tell me Mr. Potter what do you wish to discuss?"

At this point the dance forced them to separate and switch partners for a short turn. When they returned to each other Harry, feeling no need to ingratiate himself to Severus continued the conversation in an almost blasé manner.

"Perhaps you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room or the number of couples, it is however your turn to say something Mr. Snape, whatever subject you choose I shall endeavour to make an appropriate reply."

Severus smiled again while remarking on the large variety of couples involved in the dance.

"Very well" Harry replied "That reply will do for now, perhaps I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones later on, but for now we may be silent."

"Do you talk by rule then when dancing Mr. Potter?"

This time it was Harry's turn to smile. They continued their back and forth repartee through a second dance before Harry excused himself to continue his search for his family. Harry had genuinely enjoyed the banter between Snape and himself however he could not forget his suspicions that Snape along with Sirius's two cousins had been the driving force behind Mr. Black's sudden departure from Netherfield and Remus's broken heart. His resolve was strengthened further when, upon returning to Ottery St. Catchpole, Remus confided in Harry that he believed Sirius never viewed him as anything more than a passing acquaintance and anything further was a figment of Remus's mind. As sensible and brave as Remus's words were as he declared that he was moving on, Harry could still see how much hurt was in his friends eyes.


End file.
